Rewrite the Apocalypse dream (by Dee Cari) novel Chapter 308

Chapter 308 The Mutated Vines

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The zombie didn’t stop, tilting its head to bite with its remaining momentum. Without thinking, Joanna pivoted and swung her hatchet twice in rapid succession, burying the blade deep into the spine to completely chop off the neck. The headless corpse collapsed into the snow-dusted doorway.

Ignoring Samantha-who looked terrified and watched her warily-Joanna sprinted down the hallway toward Wendy, who was sitting slumped against the wall.

Wendy looked incredibly pale, her skin almost translucent in the dim afternoon light. She weakly lifted a trembling finger toward the upper stairwell. “I’m fine,” she gasped out, coughing. “Help Edward!”

Joanna straightened instantly, her eyes shifting to the end of the corridor. Edward was pinned flat on his back, desperately holding back a snapping mouth. Recognizing the creature was only a level 2 walker, Joanna didn’t hesitate. She closed the distance in a blur and swung her hatchet with practiced, brutal precision.

The blade sheared cleanly through the soft bone, killing the zombie instantly.

Edward lay on the floor, pale and breathing hard. His entire body was shaking from exhaustion and lingering terror.

“I drained all my earth power,” he stammered, his voice raw as he gripped his chest. “Everything happened so fast.”

Joanna pulled him up with a firm grip, leaning him safely, against the concrete wall. For a long moment, Edward went completely quiet. He stared deep into Joanna’s eyes, the ambient afternoon light catching the sheer gravity in his expression.

“Thank you for saving my life,” he whispered.

Joanna nodded silently, but before she could step away, his hand shot out. He grabbed her wrist with surprising, desperate strength.

“Stay away from our group,” Edward hissed softly, his eyes darting toward the others. “You guys will stay safe longer.”

Before Joanna could respond, Samantha’s footsteps approached, her voice cutting through the tense silence. “Are you alright, Edward?”

He instantly let go of Joanna’s wrist and winced, leaning back against the wall. “Yeah. I’ll live.”

Samantha turned her gaze to Joanna, her eyes flashing with a cold, unreadable look. But a second later, the licy expression melted away into something more diplomatic.

“Thanks for helping us back there,” Samantha said. She held out her hand, offering the glowing level 2 core she had just harvested. “You earned it fair and square.”

Joanna took the small, warm crystal and gave a brief nod toward Samantha. “No problem.”

“My team is probably tired,” Joanna said, watching them closely.

Both Edward and Samantha winced at the statement.

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Chapter 308 The Mutated Vines

Good, Joanna thought. At least they have some self-awareness.

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are clearing out a few more floors and then heading back,” she added, her tone businesslike as she pocketed the core.

Just then, RJ’s voice echoed directly through the private mind link. We took care of the other level four zombies, she reported, her mental tone steady. As for the other lower-level ones, I forced them to stay in the hallway. Everything okay down there?

Joanna gave Samantha and Edward a small wave, turning on her heel. She walked back toward the dark hallway as Edward and his whole team stared after her, their eyes heavy with unspoken secrets.

Using the mental link, Joanna projected her voice back to RJ, Briggs, and the rest of her squad. As long as you all have a sack of supplies and zombie cores, let’s head out of here. Let Edward’s group take care of the remaining zombies.

Briggs appeared in the hallway a second later. He nodded curtly to Edward’s group and fell in behind Joanna as her team walked down the stairs.

When they got to the lobby, the air grew noticeably heavier. The black vines they had noticed earlier still pulsed all around the far wall, their eerie movement rhythmic and hypnotic.

Will frowned, stepping closer to the staircase railing. “Is it me, or does the plant look like it grew more?”

Everyone paused, staring intently at the thick, wet vines twisting across the concrete. They seemed larger now, glistening with a dark, oily sheen that hadn’t been there a few hours ago.

A sudden shudder ran down Joanna’s spine. The unnatural plant felt less like a mutation and more like a deliberate, living barrier sealing them inside the subarctic winter.

The floorboards groaned a split second before the strike. From the edge of the concrete wall, a thick, fleshy black vine whipped across the damp floor like a striking serpent, binding itself tightly around Will’s ankle.

Before he could swing his metal weapon, the pulsing flora jerked violently, dragging him backward toward the dark, vine-choked mailboxes. His gloved hands clawed uselessly at the slick floor as the rhythmic tap… tap… tap… of the clear sap was swallowed by his own shout.

“Will!” Joanna yelled.

With her super strength, Joanna leaped across the lobby. She planted her boots into the floor and grabbed Will’s outstretched arms. The sheer physical force of her grip anchored him instantly, stopping the vine’s momentum with a brutal, bone-jarring snap. The vines on the wall pulsed aggressively in response, and two more thick tendrils shot out from the ceiling tiles, wrapping around Will’s torso to pull him deeper into the damp shadows.

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